Shloka 42
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
गहनं भवतो राज्यमन्धकारं तमो<न्वितम् । नेह विश्वसिंतु शक््यं भवतापि कुतो मया
gahanaṁ bhavato rājyam andhakāraṁ tamo'nvitam | neha viśvasiṁtu śakyaṁ bhavatāpi kuto mayā ||
ພີດສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ອານາຈັກຂອງທ່ານເປັນປ່າທຶບລຶກແຫ່ງຄວາມມືດ ຖືກຫໍ່ຫຸ້ມດ້ວຍຄວາມມືດມົນ. ໃນສະພາບເຊັ່ນນີ້ ແມ່ນແຕ່ທ່ານເອງກໍບໍ່ອາດໄວ້ໃຈອານາຈັກນີ້; ແລ້ວຂ້ອຍຈະໄວ້ໃຈໄດ້ແນວໃດ?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s legitimacy depends on clarity, justice, and moral order. When governance is clouded by ‘darkness’—confusion, suffering, and unethical conduct—trust collapses, and even the ruler cannot credibly rely on the system, much less others.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and statecraft, Bhishma addresses a king and characterizes his kingdom as engulfed in darkness, implying misrule or moral disorder. He uses this to justify his inability to place confidence in the kingdom’s condition or direction.